Indian Army and Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) soldiers on Sunday practised yoga in biting cold on the snowclad mountains in Ladakh where the Chinese troops have adopted aggressive posturing in the Galwan valley.
Chinese Army personnel, who joined the Indian troops in practising yoga last year, were this time missing.
The security force personnel wrapped in jackets and winter clothing exhibited the spirit of International Yoga Day in sub-zero temperature on the snow-covered mountain pickets in Ladakh. They performed Pranayama and Surya Namaskar.
ITBP personnel performed yoga at an altitude of 17,582 feet at Khardungla Pass in Ladakh.
Lt Governor of the union territory (UT) of Ladakh, RK Mathur, observed the event at the Raj Niwas where he performed several yoga asanas.
With the rest of the country, International Yoga Day was celebrated in the Union Territory of Ladakh. With the themes ‘Yoga at Home, Yoga with Family’, a large number of participants performed yoga at their homes.
Stressing on the importance of yoga, Mathur described it as the most valuable gift of our ancient tradition. He ascribed great physical, mental and spiritual benefits of the yoga practice and exhorted to inculcate the habit of practising yoga in our daily life.
J&K UT’s Lt. Governor, GC Murmu, along with his wife Smita Murmu, led the celebrations by practising Yoga at home as per the Common Yoga Protocol issued by the Ministry of AYUSH.